Toronto Public Health to host media event on blacklegged ticks and Lyme disease

Toronto Public Health will hold a media event tomorrow at Morningside Park to share information about the City's blacklegged tick surveillance program and offer tips on how to prevent Lyme disease, which can be spread by this type of tick. As part of the event, media will be provided with a demonstration on how ticks are collected from the environment through a process known as tick dragging.

Date: Thursday, May 18
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Morningside Park, 390 Morningside Ave. The park entrance is on the west side of Morningside Avenue between Ellesmere Avenue and Lawrence Avenue

Interview opportunities will be available with experts on:
• Toronto Public Health's blacklegged tick surveillance program
• prevention of Lyme disease
• removal of ticks and where to submit them

Lyme disease, an illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, can be spread through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Although the risk of becoming infected in Toronto remains low, taking appropriate precautions can help lower the risk of getting bitten.

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